With January drawing to a close, perhaps your New Year’s resolutions have been pushed to one side. If you’re thinking of making a career change or looking for advice on what to do next, then support is available to help you make the right decisions.
Claire O’Reilly, careers manager for South and East Belfast in the Department for Employment and Learning’s (DEL) Careers Service, offers the following advice:
“It might be that you find you’re just not enjoying your job as much as you used to, leading you to ask if you’re on the right path.
“Maybe you’ve just been made redundant, or been unemployed for a while, or can’t find work opportunities in your chosen area. It could even be you’ve progressed as far as you can in your current position, and now feel it’s time for a change.
“In all these cases, the Careers Service is here to help.
“Take your time, consider your options and think carefully before making any major decisions. The most important thing is to seek appropriate advice and talking to a careers adviser should be your first step. The Careers Service offers a professional, all age careers information, advice and guidance service.”
She added: “Don’t limit yourself to specific types of jobs. Spend some time researching the types of careers you think you would like. The Careers Service website has a range of online software tools including a career A-Z database with over 1,800 career titles, career matching tools, a CV builder tool, and numerous general information articles.
“Think about the abilities, aptitudes and qualities you have. There are many skills such as communication, leadership and problem solving that are transferable and applicable in many different job roles. “To gain experience you could consider taking a part-time job, working weekends/ nights, or volunteering.”
Find your local careers office by logging onto www.nidirect.gov.uk/careers or contact the Careers Service on 0300 200 7820.
DEL is currently running the Skills to Succeed campaign encouraging the public and employers to find out more about the range of programmes and assistance that are available. Visit http://www.nidirect. gov.uk/skills for details